For the First Time in Forever, I Will Be Right Here
by DragonRider122
Summary: Elsa still hasn't completely lost her fear, but Anna is finally there to help. Rated for one curse word.


**DISCLAIMER: Don't own this wonderful movie.**

**Not gonna lie: I spent the entire movie fangirling over Idina Menzel. I _adore_ that woman's voice. Did anyone else fall in love with "Let It Go"?**

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Even now that the ordeal was over, Elsa just couldn't stop her nightmares.

She woke up screaming Anna's name, the feel of frosty skin still burning her fingertips. "Cold" wasn't really a term in the queen's vocabulary; her powers had always insulated her, nullifying even the most frigid of temperatures into a pleasant coolness. But when she had touched Anna's face only to feel slick, freezing ice, Elsa finally understood why the word carried such an unpleasant connotation. Even now that she could finally control the flurries of ice and snow, it was almost enough to make her swear off their use for the rest of her life.

The blonde hunched over, arms wrapped around her legs as she hid her face in her knees and tried not to have a mental breakdown. She could have gone into Anna's room; there was no need to keep her distance from the younger woman any longer, but Elsa had trained herself for years to stay away, to rely on nothing else but her own strength to keep her upright, and even though the vivid memory had left her shaking, she couldn't bring herself to seek out her sister. Elsa fisted her hands on the covers and tried to stifle the sobs that were crawling from her throat. _It's over, Anna is safe, you didn't lose her, it's all right…._

A series of sharp raps on her door startled her, and a moment later Anna's anxious voice rang out, slightly muffled through the thick wood: "Elsa? Elsa, are you okay?!"

_Anna?_ Elsa lifted her head, slightly confused as to what her little sister was doing outside her door at whatever hour of the night it was. The queen took a moment to collect herself before answering, voice only slightly unsteady: "I—I'm fine…."

"I heard you cry out; I thought…." Anna trailed off, and there was silence for a moment before she whispered, almost too quietly to be heard, "Can I come in?"

"…what are you doing up?" Elsa asked, loath to let her little sister see her in such a vulnerable state. The auburn-haired girl's answer shattered that resolve like glass.

"I had nightmares, so….I couldn't sleep."

Elsa padded across the room, absently noting that at some point she'd turned the floor to ice, and opened the door—or tried to. A protesting screech of frozen hinges met her efforts, and when the queen took a second to look around the room, she shivered as she realized that her powers had apparently run amok during her nightmare and encased the whole room in a thick sheet of ice. Crystalline spikes were protruding from the corners, and here and there, small piles of snow lay scattered about. Taking a deep breath, Elsa waved a hand and watched as the magically conjured elements vanished before opening the door. Seeing Anna's slightly confused look, she explained, "I wasn't sleeping too well either, and….I froze the room. It wouldn't be the first time…"

Memories of fear and isolation surfaced to join the one that had caused her to wake in the first place, and Elsa shivered again, reflexively turning away to hide her reaction from Anna. Before she could, however, Anna let out a small whimper and flung her arms around Elsa, burying her face against the other girl's neck. Elsa knew that her skin was freezing—a side effect of her powers—but Anna didn't seem to care, just huddling as close as she could. Elsa felt her little sister shaking, and before she could stop herself she returned the embrace, hugging Anna hard and almost sobbing in relief as she felt the warmth of the younger girl's body. "Anna?"

"Had a nightmare….that I couldn't save you. Hans…..he k-killed you and I couldn't stop him…."

"Wait, wait, wait." Elsa gently pushed Anna back so that she could see her sister's face. "You had a nightmare….about not being able to save me?" she asked incredulously, eyes widening slightly. "Out of everything that happened to us…_that's _what's giving you nightmares?"

Anna sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Y-yeah. That was really scary….when I thought I'd lose you forever. Even when you pushed me away all those years…I always hoped that one day, we could be sisters again. So…when I saw him about to k-kill you…."

Elsa let go and backed away, sitting down on the bed before her legs could give out completely. "Anna," she choked, ironclad control slipping dangerously. "You stupid, foolish….I nearly killed you—no. I did. You were dead and gone, and I….dammit, I told you to stay away from me…." She shut her eyes tightly, frost beginning to creep from her fingers onto the duvet. "And you're having nightmares about losing me?!"

The bed dipped next to her, and Elsa felt warm fingers gently covering her own. Reflexively she jerked away, terrified of hurting Anna, but Anna didn't let go of her hand, and when Elsa looked over she saw that the frost was already gone. Slowly she lifted her eyes to Anna's, throat tightening as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. Anna smiled softly. "I told you, Elsa. I love you. Even if you intentionally tried to hurt me, I'd still never stay away from you. We're sisters."

That did it. Elsa let out a wrenching sob and caught Anna in a crushing hug, hiding her face against her sister's auburn hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered, trembling so violently that she could barely speak. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's okay, Elsa." Anna wrapped her arms around the queen, gently stroking Elsa's white-blonde hair. "For the first time in forever….we're together again."


End file.
